Hopper construction for laundries, etc.



NOV. 8, J -STORCH HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR LAUNDRIES, ETC

Filed Jan. 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l @139 .10\ 2 I 101 \Ob INVENTOR us Storch ATTORNEY fU'TAA AI Nov. 8, 1932. J. STORCH 1,886,916

HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR mummms, ETC

Filed Jan. 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Juh'us Starch ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1932 l,88t,9l16

JULIUS sroacn, or new Yoiax, N. Y.

HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR LAUNDBIES, ETC.

Application filed January 26, 1932. Serial No. 588,920.

This invention relates to laundry equipment and more particularly is directed to improvements in hopper constructions and H dumping means for feeding or charging multi-pocket washing machines with loads of clothes to be cleansed. Among the objects of the invention is to generally improve laundry equipment of the ing means which shall comprise few and simple parts, which shall form a compact,

quick and easily operated device for charging a multi-pocket washing machine, and

which shall be cheap to install, and practical and efiicient to a 'highvdegree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangement ofparts'which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter 5 described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims. In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one ofthe various possible illus trative embodiments of this invention.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of a fragmentary portion of a laundry building showing the washing floor, overhead sorting floor and hoppers extending down from the latter to a multi-pocket washing machine supported 3 on the former, said hoppers being provided with improved shutters or swingable'compartment partitions and operating means therefor extending to the washing floor, said hopper and means being constructed to embody the invention. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views taken on lines,2-2, 83 and 45-41, respectively, in Fig. 1. i

Fig-,5 is a fragmentary enlarged crosssectional View corresponding to the upper portion of thehopper shown in Fig. 2, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are v fragmentary sectional views taken on lines 6-6 and 7-7, respectively, in. Fig. 4. j T

An embodiment of the invention will now be described as applied to laundry equipment character described by providing an im-- proved hopper construction and load dumpinstalled in a building inconnection with a 9-pocket washing machine W of any conventional construction, said machine W being located on the washing or ground floor G, and

bank of three, vertically spaced, parallelly aligned hoppers 10, 10a and 10?), being carried by an overhead sortingfloor S. Only afragmentary portion of said ground floor G and the sorting floor S are shown in Figs. 1 to3. r p

.Each hopper may be extended vertically down'through an openingO in the sorting floor S and is supported in any suitable man nor as by means of angle members 11. vThe lower ends of the hoppers may each terminate in inclined chute portions l2jwhich are adapted to register with the doorways D of the washing machines which are rotatably mounted cylindrical bodies located above the fioor G. Said machineWhere shown, isseen to comprise three sections N, each formed with three sector-shaped pockets P, the latter being adapted to receive a charge or load of clothes (not shown) to be washed from the corresponding compartments provided in the hoppers '10, 10a and 106 at or above the sort ing; floor S. Thus a 9-pocket washingmachine W having three sections N of three pockets each is provided with three hoppers 10, 10a and 106 which are substantially alike 8? in construction, each hopper being adapted to feed charges orv loads of clothes in the three pockets P of one of the sections N.

The hoppers 10, 10a and 'l0bhave three compartments each, compartments 13,14 and 15 in hopper 10, compartments 13a, 14:a and 15a in. hopper-10a, and compartments 13b 14?) and 15b for hopper 10b, asshown inFigs. 1 to 4,inclusive. Said compartments'13, 14L and 15; 18a, 14a and 15a; and 13b, 14b and 156 are partitioned off in their respective hoppers 10, 10a and 106 by suitable load dumping means comprising swingable drop shutters or'trap doors 16, 17 and 18; 16a, 17a and 18a; and 16b, 17b and 18b, respectively. ;The shutters 16, 16aand 166 may each be secured to swing with the horizontally extending shaft 19 from an inclined position to the horizontal plane shown in full p lines in Figs. 2- and 5 to'a'vertical position shown in dotted lines, said shaft being journaled in suitable bearings such for example as ball bearings 20. Similarly, the shutters 17, 17a and 175 are mounted to swing with the horizontally extending shaft 21 which is journaled in ball bearings 22 and the swingable drop shutters 18, 18a and 181) are mounted to swing with the horizontally extending shaft 23 journaled in ball bearings 21. The bearings 20, 22 and 24 are preferably mounted on the outersidewallsjof the o casing of the hoppers to be readily accessible and away from possible Contact -w-ith the clothes to eliminate accidental oil stains, and are located to retain theshafts in spaced parallel: alignment vwith the-rear sides 25, 25a ands25b of 'thecasings of the hopper 10, 10a and 106;, V I a ,Sincethedrop shutters are disposedin the hoppers at aninclinedangle with a horizontal plane, thepivoting'axestherefor are preferably provided at the upper ends of the shutters within-the hopper and adjacent the rear casingsides 25, 25a and-25b.

Secured to the rear side of each casing and extending in alignment with each shutter when the latter is in closed position, there is provideda fixed short ramp or slideway 26, said slideway; being secured to the rear side in any suitable, manner as by means of an angle bar 27. The freeend 26a of each ramp is adapted to meet the filetor filler strip28 on-the upper end of'each shutter so as to provide 7 a perfectly smooth, sliding surface on which to place the loads or charges of clothes prior to dumping into the machine. In orderto brace-the ramp 26, a plate member 29 which is rigidly secured to the rear of the hopper casing by a suitable angle iron 30 may be-provided. Saidfplate member 29 engages with 'thespaced portion 26b extendingfrom'the'ramp end 26a, said member 29 also being extended as at29a for shielding the shafts 19, 21 and 23. Y

The upper drop shutters 18, 18a; and 18?) are operated in unison, and to this end a suitable turnin'gmechanism is provided, as for example,awo'rm drive Mb, said drive as seen from Figs. 6 and? comprising a worm wheel 31 meshing with a worm 31a. Said worm drive may be housed in a casing 32, the shaft 33 of the worm 31a;being extended through the casing 32 and supported in an'overhanging bearing 34; Said shaft 33 terminates beyondsaid 'bearing 34; in a pulley 35 which is operated by-a hand chaini36b. The latter hangsj down through the sorting floor Sand is looped above the ground floor Gadj acent to the washing machine W. The worm wheel 31 is fixedly securedor keyed to a short section of the shaft23a, the latter being coupled to the oppositely extending aligned portions of the shaft 23 by suitable couplings 37'. The worm drive casing 32 may be rigidly supported by suitable structure members 38 for reshown,chains.:36a and 36 are positioned between hoppers 10 and 10a, and the chain 36 is- -located -between hoppers 10a and 10b.

The operation of the improved installation will now-be apparent." After the clothes to bewasheclv are bundled on the sorting fioor S, placed through the openingsl'Rcon the rear sides 25,2566 and 25b of the hoppers and 'dis-: tributed in thenine compartments, the; doorway'Dof one oflthe pockets Pineach of-the machine sections N is'brought in register with the. chute portions12',' that is, one-set ofthese pocketsare.positioned to. receive loads. of

clothesifor the three hoppers 10,10a and 10b. The lowershutterstlo,l6acand 167) are opened by manipulating. the-hand chain; 36 which causes the v loads :3 in the lower compartments 13, 13aand 'l3bto drop. down the hoppers 10,1Oct and 10?) through the. chute-portions 12 and into 7 three machine pockets P. The washing machineNVisnow/turned so that the doors Doffasecond set of pocketsalignwith the chute. portions '12 andflthe. middle shutters 17, 17d and 175 are opened by operating the drainer-36a for dumping the clothes bun dles from compartments -14, Haand 14?) into said second set oflmachine pockets P; The washingmachineW is now turned so that the third or. last set of pockets Pare aligned with thechute portions -12Jandflthefchain 36bnis operated for swinging. the shutters 18, 18a and 18h open to permit the clothes bundles in compartments15,.15a and 15b to drop down the..hoppersu10,, 10a and 106 through the chute. portions l2 and into the thirdset of machine pockets P. The chains36, 36a and 36b 'canqnow. be operated foriraising-all the shutters and the hoppers compartments are then ready to receive other loads of clothes for repeatingithe charging of the machine pockets. 1 r a The chute portion'12'preferably may be madewithfa hinged wall 12a which is secured by a suitable latch 12b to permit the ready release'of loads of clothes thatmay accidentally jamin the chute p ortions '12, such release being accomplished by simplyopening the latch 12b and swinging the hinged wall 12a outwardly as isreadily understood from Figs. 2 and 3;

It is clear from the above descriptionand drawingsthat the Washing machine W can be readily loaded from the ground floor-G by the operators ofsaid machine independent of theworkers. of'the; sorting floor; =Much time and labor is thus saved and greater convenience in operation than heretofore is made possible, since three machine pockets may be filled simultaneously. 7

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a hopper construction of the character described, drop shutters forming separate compartments in said hopper, a shaft supporting each shutter for swinging movement extending through the hopper, said shaft being spaced from one side of the hopper, a ramp extending from the said hopper side in a plane above said shaft and aligning with the shutter when in closed position, and means extending below said ramp for shielding the shaft against accidental contact with clothes placed in the adjoining compartment.

2. In a hopper construction of the character described, drop shutters forming separate compartments in said hopper, a shaft supporting each shutter for swinging movement extending through the hopper, said shaft being spaced from oneside of the hopper, means extending from the said side of the hopper and cooperative with the shutter when in closed position to form the bottom of a compartment, and means extending from the-said hopper side below .said first named means for shielding said shaft against accidental contact with clothes placed in the adjoining compartment.

3. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the last named means is constituted in a metal member which has its inner edge extended beyond the adjacent edge of the said ramp to further the shielding efi'ect thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JULIUS S TORGH. 

